WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Thursday, August 4, the City of West Hollywood announced that the City Council has approved a Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance, which establishes certain additional protections for hotel workers in West Hollywood.

Beginning September 1, 2021, hotels are required to provide the “right to recall” to employees laid-off due to catastrophic events, such as COVID-19, and offer employees that have been laid off all positions that become available for which they are qualified, and also provide worker retention protections, which will require hotels to retain its workforce for at least 90 days if the hotel is sold or there is a change in control.

Beginning January 1, 2022, hotels will be required to provide personal security devices, otherwise know as panic buttons, to employees that are required to work in restrooms or guest rooms by themselves.

Beginning July 1, 2022, hotels will be required to contract with a certified third-party entity to provide annual six-hour training to staff on a variety of topics. These topics include worker’s responsibilities and rights, best practices for identifying suspected instances of human trafficking and domestic violence, best practices for avoiding and identifying vermin and insect infestation, and best practices for identifying potential criminal activity.

Visit www.weho.org/home/showdocument?id=50480 to read the full text of the Ordinance.